Immigration laws impact Oregonians

OSU professor looks into effect of law barring undocumented workers from employment

By: Haylee Campbell

Posted: 7/23/08

According to a recent study, Oregon could see a loss of up to 170,000 jobs and a possible loss of $17.7 billion in production within the next few months.

William Jaeger, a professor of agricultural and resource management at OSU, was asked to analyze the potential economic impacts in Oregon if Homeland Security's "No-Match" immigration rule were to pass.

The study was paid for by the Coalition for a Working Oregon.

The evaluation aimed to assess the possible ramifications of the "No-Match" rule. This rule states that employers must fire or penalize workers whose social security information does not match up with the information that is recorded with the Social Security Administration.

If implemented, the law would mean criminal charges or hefty fines for violating employers.

The "No-Match" rule was barred originally because of the errors found in the validation of social security that has led to the denial of jobs for legal immigrants.

Last year, a federal judge barred the mailing of 140,000 letters to employers who have employees in violation of this law. A hearing on Aug. 1 at the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco will decide what actions will be taken and if the waiting letters will be mailed.

About 7.7 percent of Oregon jobs could become available for other unemployed persons with proper paperwork to apply for if the law goes into effect. The hospitality, agriculture, and construction industries will be hit the hardest.

Oregon's unemployment rate is not expected to have a significant change since most unemployment rates are a part of an ongoing turnover process. The departure of undocumented immigrants is also estimated to lower state and local taxes by up to $656 million per year.

"I think that this is a great idea," said Ross Evans, a sophomore in sociology. "This will provide more opportunities and job openings for legal American citizens that are currently unemployed."

Jaeger's report, though, raises some issues in saying that "there is a severe 'mismatch' problem between the skill levels of undocumented workers and those of unemployed natives."

This means that many immigrants have a higher skill level for manual labor jobs than the native unemployed.

More information can be found on the Coalition for a Working Oregon website at www.oregoncanwork.org.